One of Yorkshire’s leading craft breweries has unveiled its new look and new plans at a special event in York.
Bad Seed Brewery was opened in Malton by Chris Waplington and James Broad in 2013 and has won wide national acclaim in recent years.
It grew out of the pair’s background in homebrewing which has evolved into a successful business, and they wanted a new look that reflects the business’s current direction.
The brewery’s old branding, inspired by luggage tags, has now been replaced by striking imagery by photographer Victoria Harley. There will be a new image for each new beer, at a rate of around four a month.
They held a launch event at The Rook and Gaskill in Lawrence Street, York, on Saturday afternoon and evening, with nine of their beers on the bar, including three new releases.
Mr Waplington said: “We’ve grown a lot in five and a half years and we feel it’s time to reflect that in our pump clips and can labels.
“Our luggage-tag style labels have been popular but they grew from the swing tags we used to have on our bottles. We wanted to move to something that really embodied where the beers are now and where we’re headed as a brewery.
“Victoria’s an incredible freelance photographer. Each new beer will have a unique image, and with our cask badges we have chosen oversize clip to allow the image to really sing out on the bar. This has been a fun process, we look to be innovative as a brewery and this has been a collaboration of creative people.”
“We also wanted a logo that was easily recognisable and would work on all formats, and Simon Ellis from Flexibubble in Malton has done a fantastic job for us. The first beers with the new branding will be going out across the UK this week.”
Victoria Harley said: “It’s really exciting to be given such creative freedom on this project. Beer cans and pump clips are the new album sleeves – a great opportunity for an artist to showcase their work. I look forward to seeing where we take it over the next few months.”
John-Jo Cunningham, manager of The Rook and Gaskill, said: “Bad Seed’s beers have always been popular with our customers, so we were delighted they chose to hold their relaunch event here. The beers look and taste excellent.”
Since its formation, Bad Seed has worked with some leading national and regional breweries, including Northern Monk (Salted Lemon Wit), Left Handed Giant (Cookie Monster), Track (Troika) and Abbeydale (A+B). They have also worked with the Tate Modern in London and with James and Tommy Banks from the Michelin-starred Black Swan in Oldstead and Roots in York, creating an exclusive beer to be paired with one of their dishes.
Several collaborations and new canned specials are planned for the spring, and the brewery’s first big event of 2019 will be at Craft Beer Rising at the Old Truman Brewery.
Notes for editors
Contact Chris Waplington on 01653 695783 or chris@badseedbrewery.com with any queries.
Bad Seed Brewery was started in Malton, North Yorkshire, in 2013 by James Broad and Chris Waplington who still own and run the business. They began on a 4BBL (650Ltr) Brewkit. In 2015 they expanded on to a 12BBL (1950Ltr) brewplant. All the beers are unfined and unfiltered. They produce beers in cask, keg and can that are available direct and through wholesale. https://badseedbrewery.com/
Victoria Harley is a freelance photographer specialising in food and interiors. She trained at the Leeds School of Art and has worked with national publications including Country Homes and Interiors, Financial Times and Simple Things and publishers including Harper Collins, Nourish and Jacqui Small. Her clients include the Real Bread Campaign, Castle Howard, Neptune, School of Artisan Food, Friends of Ham. She has worked extensively with The Haxby Bakehouse, who feature as one of the bakers in her self-published book ‘Oven Ready’. http://vjhphoto.com/